Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manama and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,561 in Manama, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Manama
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Manama Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,561

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manama and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Manama and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,561 in Manama versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Manama $1,561
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,442 in Manama versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Manama $2,442
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Manama versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Manama $3,323
Phuket $3,154

Living in Manama is roughly 22% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Manama is 15% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.17 BHD 1.93

$4.47 ฿151

15.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.4 BHD 19.97

$32.41 ฿1,094

64.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.22 BHD 2.70

$8.81 ฿297

-18.05%

Cappuccino

$5.01 BHD 1.88

$2.83 ฿95.4

77.03%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 BHD 0.33

$0.87 ฿29.42

1.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 BHD 0.12

$0.49 ฿16.66

-34.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.48 BHD 2.42

$2.56 ฿86.3

153.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.09 BHD 3.78

$3.68 ฿124

174.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 BHD 0.52

$1.66 ฿56.0

-16.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 BHD 0.39

$1.46 ฿49.32

-28.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BHD 0.87

$1.50 ฿50.5

55.33%

Eggs

$2.22 BHD 0.83

$2.09 ฿70.5

6.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.62 BHD 3.22

$19.07 ฿643

-54.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.58 BHD 2.46

$3.30 ฿111

99.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.38 BHD 3.13

$10.91 ฿368

-23.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 BHD 0.89

$2.93 ฿98.9

-18.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 BHD 0.86

$1.69 ฿57.0

36.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 BHD 0.73

$2.25 ฿75.8

-13.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 BHD 0.52

$2.08 ฿70.1

-33.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 BHD 0.38

$1.51 ฿51.0

-33.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 BHD 0.51

$1.38 ฿46.54

-1.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 BHD 0.58

$1.07 ฿35.97

45.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BHD 0.32

$0.52 ฿17.51

61.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.26 BHD 1.97

$4.20 ฿142

25.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.18 BHD 6.80

$18.79 ฿634

-3.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.63 BHD 1.36

$1.82 ฿61.5

99.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 BHD 1.00

$2.84 ฿95.9

-6.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 BHD 0.29

$1.45 ฿49.00

-46.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.65 BHD 13.71

$56.7 ฿1,912

-35.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 BHD 1.94

$3.02 ฿102

71.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 BHD 1.28

$1.02 ฿34.34

235.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.82 BHD 5.92

$3.69 ฿125

328.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 BHD 0.25

$1.47 ฿49.78

-55.10%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$25.9K BHD 9,671

$26.8K ฿903.7K

-3.43%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$19.3K BHD 7,234

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-27.53%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$153 BHD 57.1

$96.4 ฿3,252

58.35%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$24.67 BHD 9.23

$11.26 ฿380

119.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.29 BHD 13.20

$16.85 ฿569

109.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 BHD 25.77

$67.2 ฿2,269

2.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.13 BHD 11.27

$10.73 ฿362

180.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 BHD 4.03

$7.50 ฿253

43.73%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$622 BHD 233

$476 ฿16.1K

30.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K BHD 4,091

$11.3K ฿380.1K

-2.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 BHD 18.74

$62.4 ฿2,105

-19.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 BHD 21.71

$28.41 ฿959

104.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 BHD 33.32

$94.3 ฿3,182

-5.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 BHD 33.16

$85.8 ฿2,896

3.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 BHD 376

$716 ฿24.2K

40.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 BHD 239

$491 ฿16.6K

29.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,052 BHD 767

$1,927 ฿65.0K

6.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,303 BHD 487

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-8.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,590 BHD 969

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-37.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,974 BHD 738

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-35.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,384 BHD 892

$502 ฿17.0K

374.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.21

5.57

11.49%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Manama: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Manama

$638 40.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 23% $147

Groceries & Markets

Manama

$249 16%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manama

$213 13.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 41.4% $88

Eating Out

Manama

$181 11.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 32.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Manama

$129 8.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 5.3% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Manama

$90 5.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 9.1% $8.2

Getting Around

Manama

$62 4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 13.8% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,004 in Manama and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manama pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $53 in Manama vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $249 vs $266, with Manama cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Manama

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

12:19 12:19 PM

4 h ahead of Manama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,474 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.67 USD

1 BHD = 2.39 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BHD – Bahraini Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇭 Bahraini Dinar (.د.ب)

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.374 BHD (1 BHD = 2.67 USD). 1 EUR = 0.418 BHD (1 BHD = 2.39 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BHD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manama Phuket 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Manama
Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Manama vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Manama. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Manama is about 4.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,004 in Manama versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Manama runs roughly 35% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $622 in Manama versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,561 in Manama, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Manama. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Manama and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Manama on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.